Currently, Georgia is becoming more and more popular among gambling operators. Local government in its turn is happy to replenish the budget by attracting new and new gaming establishments to the jurisdiction. That’s why the procedure of obtaining a Georgia gaming license is transparent, simple, and not expensive.
Both land-based and internet casinos are legal in Georgia. Nonetheless, it’s impossible to get an online gaming license in Georgia without holding a land-based casino license.
To apply for the Georgia gaming license you should register a company in the jurisdiction, open a corporate bank account and prepare documentation. The standard term for issuing a Georgian gaming license is 20 days. If it is acceptable for the operator, there is no charge for applying. If someone wants to fasten the process, he’ll have to pay 140-740$ depending on the new issuing period.
Georgia Online Gaming License Regulations
The main Georgian body in the gambling sphere is the nation’s Revenue Service. The regulator is engaged in issuing licenses, lawmaking, taxing, and controlling compliance with industry laws. Also, the Revenue Service tries to protect vulnerable audiences from gambling addiction. In March 2022 the regulator started to complete the list of gambling addicts, who are totally banned from playing in Georgia.
There are several laws which regulate gambling in Georgia. Among them, there are «Organizing lotteries, Gambling and profit-generating games» and «Licenses and permits» acts. Also, the Revenue Service in its work appeals to The Tax Code of Georgia and a range of orders from the Ministry of Finance.
To obtain and prolong a casino gaming license in Georgia, you have to follow local laws and make all mandatory payments on time.
How to get a Gambling Licence in Georgia?
The step-by-step algorithm for the applicants:
- To register a business
- To open a bank account
- To prepare thorough info about your company and gambling activities
- To submit an application for a Georgian gaming license. You can easily do it online.
- To pay mandatory fees
- If your goal is to run a casino in the internet, you can ask for an online license after getting the ordinary one
Requirements
- Only an owner of a Georgian-based company can legalize gambling business in the jurisdiction. At the same time, it doesn’t matter if the applicant is a citizen of Georgia or not.
- Applicants must prove that they protect people under 18 from taking part in any type of gambling.
- The future operators should collect and provide all data about their business including company address, games which they propose and their rules, conditions of payments for winners, etc.
- It’s necessary to have a proven address where the work of the enterprise will be organized and where winnings can be paid from.
- All fees and taxes should be charged on time.
Now we have a general idea of how to get a gambling license in Georgia. Let’s move to the list of documents for applying.
Documents for licensing
To obtain gambling permission you should collect the following documentation:
- Certificate from the State Register of Legal Entities
- Terms and conditions of gambling activity, games description
- Сompany charter
- Proof of applicant’s no criminal record
- Layouts of game paraphernalia (chips, cards, etc.)
- Application for legalizing your business
- Confirmation of payment of the registration fee
In every individual case it can be required to attach some extra documents.
Georgian gambling license cost and fees
Owners of Georgian gaming enterprises are obliged to pay annual and quarterly fees.
The yearly fee amount depends on the part of the country and type of activity.
| Gambling type | Cost |
| Casino | 100,000 – 5,000,000 lari (37,000$ – 1,850,000$) |
| Gaming machines | 50,000 – 1,000,000 lari (18,500$ – 370,000$) |
| Table games clubs | 10,000 – 50.000 lari (3,700$ – 18,500$) |
| Bookmaking | 30,000 – 300,000 lari (11,000$ – 111,000$) |
| Bingo/lotteries | 15,000 lari (5,500$) |
The most profitable variant for operators is to launch a business in a resort area. For example, in such zones as Gudauri, Kazbegi, Sighnaghi, gambling is tax-free. Such conditions are an attempt by the Georgian authorities to attract more amusement businesses to touristic areas, where country guests are used to spending a lot of money.
Mandatory quarterly fees charged from the owners of gambling establishments are presented in the table below.
| Charge for | Amount |
| Tax on each physical table, including roulette tables (applies to land-based casinos) | GEL 15,000 – GEL 30,000 (5,500$ – 11,000$) |
| Duty from each gaming machine | GEL 1,500 – GEL 3,000 (550$ – 1,100$) |
| Mandatory commission on each promotional draw | 10% of the prize fund |
| Fee for organizing games for money in a system-electronic format | GEL 30,000 – GEL 60,000 (11,000$ – 22,000$) |
| Regulated tax levied on lottery organizers. The amount of the fee is calculated from the amount of net income from sold tickets | Up to 20% of revenue |
| Quarterly duty on cash equipment and electronic-system games located outside the territory of a physical object | GEL 1,000 – GEL 15,000 (367$ – 5,500$) |
| Fee on each physical table set up in board game clubs | GEL 3,000 – GEL 10,000 (1,100$ – 3,670$) |
Taxes
Local regulations provide following taxes for gambling operators:
| Tax | Rate |
| Income tax (staff salaries) | 20% |
| Property tax | Up to 1% |
| Corporate income tax | 15% |
| Liability tax (withheld from the organizers of tournament competitions). | 20% |
Timeline of getting a license
As we already mentioned, the license issuing period in Georgia is 20 days. If you can wait, you are not required to pay for applying. If you want to fasten the process, be ready to pay the following amounts:
- 400 lari (147$) if you want to get a license in 10 days
- 800 lari (294$) if you are able to wait only 5 days
- 2000 lari (735$) if you need the license next day
The gambling license in the jurisdiction is valid for 5 years.
Advantages and disadvantages
Pros of a Georgian license:
- Easy and understandable application procedure
- No application fee
- Local government supports gambling and permanently improves related legislation
- Not very long list of requirements for applicants
- You can apply if you are not a Georgian citizen
- No taxes to businesses located in touristic areas
- Part of the money earned in the gambling business goes to charitable goals
Cons of a Georgian license:
- There are mandatory regular fees which are not fixed, and you have to count your amounts of payments every time
- To open an online gambling platform, you need to run land-based casino firstly
- A Georgian license is not a cross permit. Its action extends to the territory of the country, but not beyond its borders.
